An Evening at Cargot Brasserie

Food unites nutrition, agriculture, and the culinary arts, three of the things in life that make me tick. 

Two years ago, I sat in my communication professor's office telling him about my lofty dreams to combine photography, writing, and food into a project that's bigger than my blog. But what's the name of this job that I can work towards? Who's looking for someone to do this? 

Professor B encouraged me to "just do it." Put yourself out there, take photos, give it all you got, learn, and make mistakes. A month later, Food for Thought, a photojournalism research project that taught me how to be bold and carry a conversation, materialized.

School's kept me busy, and Food for Thought gently came to a hiatus at the end of the year. It's certainly not a perfect project, and I sometimes look back and cringe at some of the photos. But where would I be if I let perfectionism stop me? 

My dreams to combine photography and storytelling to impact the greater good of the food system continues to simmer and refine. Since my path is a little fixed for the time being, the time I have now is the opportunity to practice. I can think and wonder all I want about what this all means - how long do I want to spend in a hospital?, when do I take a chance at the loftiest of lofty dreams?, what does photography even mean to me right now and long-term? - but sometimes, I just have to do. This past December, I contacted Fenwick Hospitality Group asking if they'd be interested in collaborating for a photo shoot. Agricola is a beloved classic in downtown Princeton and I'm always eager to support restaurants who take their food and farmers seriously. 

French bistro-inspired Cargot Brasserie is the newest addition to FHG, and the crew rolled out the red carpet for me when I arrived that evening. The hospitality and generosity they gifted me reflected the same warmth that my mom and I experienced at Agricola, and the dynamic between the guys plastered a permanent smile on my face. No matter how many times I said "thank you" that night, I still can't thank them enough! 

Indoor, low-light situations are challenging to photograph without any artificial lighting. I was nervous enough going into the shoot but especially nervous afterwards because I didn't want to disappoint - FHG had done so much for me! I spent 10 hours on the day before we flew out to Greece editing away, and I'm relieved, satisfied, and dare I say, even a little proud, of how these photos turned out.

We were in the same graduating class!